Adjustable pipe connection.



H. MUELLER. DEC'D.

0. a. a A. MUELLER. EXECUTORS.

ADJUSTABLE PIPE CONNECTION.

APPLICATION mm JULY 14. 1910.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

E1 Etc-mega UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MUELLER, 0F DECATUR, ILLINOIS; ORA B. MUELLER AND ADOLPH MUELLEREXECUTORS OF SAID HENRY MUELLER, DECEASED.

ADJUSTABLE PIPE CONNECTION.

Application filed July 14, 1910.

Yb of! whom it may ('(llll'l'l'itl lie it known that I. HENRY Mnnmani, acitizen of the lnited States. residing at Ilerati r. in the county ofMacon and State of Illinois. have invented new and useful Improvementsin Adjustable Pipe Connections. of 'lllt'll the following is a.speciiiration.

My invention relates to improvements in pipe couplings. and has moreparticular relation to couplings adapted for use in conneetion withlavatory fittings.

The principal objerts of my invention are the following: 1. To provide acoupling for two tubular members by means of whi h sa id members. bothscrew-threaded. may be teleseoped and runner-ted without the use of adireet engagement of the two members one with the other, 2. To provide acoupling or oonneetion for two'pipes or members of diilerent diametersand earh serewthreaded. in wlih'h the washer or gasket is forced intoengagement with opposing threaded suri'aees oi' the coupling bv thecoupling operation. the members having no direct engagement one vviththe other. ii. To provide a ronnertion of two sermr-tlrreaded members ofdifferent diameters having no direct engagement one with the other. witha coupling member adapted to engage with and be movable on theserew-threads of each of said members without ail'eeting the relativepositions of the two members during the movement of the third member onboth members. 4. To provide a eoupling means For two member of diiierentdiameters. both serew-threailed and having no direct engagement one withthe other. the means providii'ig a srrow-threaded conneetion between themembers through a third meniher serew-threaded to each of the othermembers. the serew-threading connection of said third member with theother members being arranged in such manner as to prevent relativelongitudinal movement of the two members being connected during, themovement of the third member. 5. To provide a Coupling means for twomembers of different diameters. both serew-threaded and havng no direetengagement one with the other. the means providing a screw-threadedconnection between the members through a. third member sermv-threadod toeach of the other members. and a compressible gasket or washerinsortible within said third Inenr Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Serial No. 571,971.

her and shaped to provide engagement of said washer or gasket with thescrew-threads of said third meinbe and one. of the other members. duringmovements of the third member in a direction to Complete the coupling.6. The provision of a coupling meniber for two members to be conneeted.said coupling member and one of the remaining members beingeomplenientally formed to cooperate in changing the normal configurationof a soft metal or other gasket or washer in a manner to cause thelatter to engage with srrew-threads formed on the other of said membersand of the coupling member. 7. To provide a coupling for two members ofdiil'erent diameters both externally screw-threaded. the member ofsmaller diameter having its normal external diameter greater than theinternal diameter of the greater than the internal diameter of the.other member. said members being freely telescopic when unroupled. theteleseoping being provided by reducing the thickness of the si-rewthreaded end of the member of smaller diameter. the screw threads of thereduced end being proportioned to the threads of the other member topermit. a running of a third or coupling member, having internal threadscomplemental to both members. over said members without aliecting theirrelative positions when coupled. 8. To provide a eoupling means for twoexternally-threaded tubular members capable of telescopic adjustmentwhen uncoupled, without a requirement of rotation of either member. oneof said members having its wall thiekness throughout the threadedportion. less than the wall thickness of the other member throughout itssimilar portion.

Other and further objects of the invention are to provide a connectionwhich is simple and eiiicient in operation, which requires no directengagement between the two members to be connected. which is safe fromblovw outs." which is durable in construction, which may be applied Withease and facility, in which the movement of the coupling member permitsanaxial movement of the two members relative to each other whenuncoupled. but prevents such movement when eoupled. without a rotativemovement of said members, and which is relatively inexpensive.

To these and other ends the nature of which will be readily understoodas my in- LID vention is'hereinafter disclosed, said invention consistsin the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings. and particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

in the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference charactersindicate similar parts in each of the views; Figure 1 is a view in Sideelevation showing one embodiment of the present invention, andillustrating one way in which it may be applied as a part of a lavatoryfitting. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through thecoupling, the view showing the parts on an enlarged scale, the softmetal gasket or washer being shbwn in its compressed or shaped conditionprovided by the relative movements of the coupling member and one of thepipes. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the coupling showing the parts inthe position they occupy prior to the movement of the LUilpilIlQ memberto shape the gasket or washer. Fig. i is an elevation of the threadedportions of the two members being coupled. showing the relativearrangement of threads.

In the coupling of pipes or other members where one member is suppliedin a definite length. and the meeting of service conditions is such asto require adjustments in the connection. it is often times the. casethat the rimnectiou is so situated as to pre vent relative rotation ofthe members one to the other. as for instance, where the connection isused as a part of the mounting of lavatory members, the general practicebeing to provide exposed'piumbing. Various ways of meeting theseconditions have been provided. the general practice being to provide ajoint wherein one member may telescope with respect to the other. thetelescoping member having a smooth outer face to permit of a free tlXHllmovement of the memher during the telescoping operation. The

disadvantage of this latter type of construc-' tion lies in the factthat blow-outs are possible and occur with frequency. In the presentinvention this liability of"blow outs" is eliminated by making the twomemers to be connected in a form to provide a relative telescopicmovement. thcse/men'ibers both being screw-t1]readed. but such screw.-threaded structure does not provide direct engagement between the twomembers. both members being free to telescope; those screw-(hreadedmembers are connected by a third or coupling member which hasscrewthreads oomph-mental to the threads o the other members. 0 thatwhen said coupling member is in engagement with both members. saidmembers are connected against separation eXi-epting by the disconnectionof the coupling member with one of the other members. In connection withthis construction, I provide a gasket or washer. which, by the movementof the nut or coupling member is compressed or shaped to cause thepacking material to [low radially and engage the threads of the couplingmember and the telescoping member. thereby ilacing a sealing member inthe path of the fluid attempting to escape or leak through either of thethreaded connections. To produce this result I form one of the membersto be connected and the coupling member in such manner as to providecomplemental means which will force a flow of material of the gasket orwasher in the proper directions, and for the purpose of producing theproper compression. I preferably form the screwthreads of the twomembers to be connected in such manner that the threads of the innermember will provide, dnrin a single revo-' lution of the coupling memier, a length of relative axial movement of the inner and couplingmembers exactly equal to the length of similar movement of the outer andcoupling members. with the result that while both members to be coupledare free to telescope when uncoupled. the engagement of the threads ofthe coupling member with the threads of the other members immediatelylocks the members being coupled against relative axial movement. therebypermitting an initial )ositioning of the members relative to each otherand firmly locking them in such position and at the same time shapingand positioning the packin within the coupling.

fin the drawings, I have illustrated one embodiment of the invention,the several views showing it as applied in connection with a basinfitting, this. however. beingsimply illustrative and not as indicatinglimitations in the use of the connection, it bein obvious that theinvention may be empl byed in other ways and for other purposes. withequal facility.

In Fig. 1, l0 designates the basin fitting having the threaded shank l1l2 designates the supply pipe having an operative connection with theservice pipe 13, the upper end of the supply pipe l2 being preferablybut not necessarily reduced in diameter and ex tern-ally screw-threaded.as at 14, the greatest diameter of the threaded-end l l being notgreater than the inner diameter of the shank 11 at the lower end of thelatter, these two parts being arranged to permit the threaded end l 'lto telescope within the shank ll. as indicated in Fig. 2. there being nodirect engagement between the screwthreads of the threaded end 14 andthe inner periphery of the shank ll.

15 tltsiglflilttb' a coupling member. shown herein as in the form of anut somewhat similar in shape to a gland-nut. said not beingsorew-thrcadeil in two separate planes to provide screwthreadedengagement of the nut with both of the other members 11 a size or shapewhich will permit it to be placed within the nut 15 without requiringmanipulation with respect to either the threads of the nut or those ofthe supply pipe 12. the latter being in position within the nut when thewasher is inserted. As will be readily understood. a coupling of the nutwith the shank ll will cause the end 15 ot' the nut to approach the endof the shank 11. with the result that the gasket or washer will becompressed and reshaped. causing the metal to flow radially and enterthe threads of the end 14 and the nut 15. For the purpose of morecllicicntly forcing this radial flow of the material of the washer orgasket. I preferably but not necessarily flare the outer end of theshank 11, as indicated at 17. this form tending to force the metalinwardly onto the screw-threads of the supply'lil. lt will be readilyunderstood that the threaded movement of the nut causes the flow ofnu-tal to he produced by the end 15 and flared end 17 (if the latter beemployed;

otherwise by the cod of the pipe 11) by compressing action and therebyinsures that the space between the member 13 and the nut will beabsolutely filled by the gasket or washer, eliminating the liability ofleakage which might be produced by inaccuracies in the melal of themembers or the formation of a screw-thread.

.\s will be readily understood, the ability of the mcmbcrs to telescopenecessitates the usc'ot' u'ieinbcrs of different diameters. As thenecessities of installation are generally such as require an accurateadjustment prior to the coupling, this adjustment must remain during thecoupling operation, with the result that the movement of the couplingnut axially must be equal in length on both mcmbcrs. This equal lengthof movement may be produced by making the threads of the members to becoupled of equal size and pitch. but in such case the wall thickness ofthe inner member should substantially equal that of the outer member, aresult which would materially restrict the internal diameter ot' the,pipe. To restrict this requiremcnt. without affecting the pitch and sizeof the thrcads of the outer member, I preferably make the screw-threadsof the inner member 12 greater in number (but of the same pitch) to thelinear inch using, as an example. a doublc thread 95. on the member 12to each single thread 26 on the member ii, the thr 'ads 3 catering ondiametrically opposite sides of thc uicmbcr 12, causing the threads ofone side to alternate with the threads of the other side in com jletingthe thread, as indicated in Fig. 4. dis a result, a single revolution ofthe member 15 will cause the former to run exactly the same distance onboth members 11 and 12. As the threads 25 are of less depth than thethreads 26, the wall thickness of member 12 may be reduced withoutaffecting strength, and owing to the greater number of grooves, the

packing afforded by the gasket 16 will not have its efliciency affected;Andes will be readily understood. the use of the threads '25 with theability to use a reduced wall thickness enables the employmentof amember 12 of reasonable thickness'and, if desired, of an externaldiameter greater than the internal diameter of member 11, the end 14 ofthe member 12 in such case being reduced in thickness. a shoulder 12being formed at the point of juncture of the main portion of the memberand the threaded end.

As will be readily understood, the shank 11 may or may not be formedintegral with the remainder of the fitting, the disclosure herein. asheretofore pointed out, is simply illustrative in this respect, and Idesire it understood that the term fitting 6111-,

ployed herein contemplates a fitting connected to a supplypi 1eirrespective of the number or character 0 the pa rts of which it iscomposed. As will be obvious the connection is also applicable forusefor connecting two pipes of any type or a single pipe and a memberadapted to telescope therein without direct engagement.

\Vhile l have herein shown one embodiment of the invention, I reservethe right to make such changes and modifications therein as may berequired under serviceconditions so long as these changes andmodifications fall within the spirit and $00 of the invention asexpressed in the b llowing claims.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A coupling comprising an exteriorly threaded shankhaving a flarin inner wall at its end, a supply pipe forme of thinannealed metal provided with a reduced portion having external threadsand slidably engaging in the end of the shank, the threads of saidreduced portion being a multiple of the threads of the shank, a couplingmember having its ends of difl'erent diameters and being internallythreaded to engage over the shank and the supply pipe respectively. anda packing disposed in the coupling member about the su ply pipe, saidcoupling mcmberfbeing a apted for longitudinal adjustment over saidreduced portion of the supplypipe, said couplin member further beingadapted to be turne up on the end of the shank Whereb the packing iscompressed against the aring wall. of the shank and intothe threads ofsaid reduced portion, the coupling member moving uniformly over theshank and the supply pipe.

2. In an adjustable pipe coupling, the combination with an 'exteriorlythreaded pipe, of a second pipe adapted to telescope in said first-namedpipe and having exterior threads thereon of like pitch but in multipleof the threads on said firstmanied pipe, and a coupling member havingcomplementary threads to engage the threads on both of said pipes so asto be movable thereon to secure a tight joint Without affecting the adjusted telescopic relation of said pipes.

3. In an adjustable supply pipe coupling, the combination of anexteriorly threaded shank. of a supply pipe formed of thin metal adaptedto telescope in said shank justed telescopic relation of said pipes, and25 a packing adapted to be compressed be tween the end of said shank andsaid nut about said threaded supply pipe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- 30 nesses.

HENRY MUELLER.

\Vitnesses LEON ARI) F. McKinnnN,

\Vnmm n R. Brooms.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,163,679

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,163,679, grantedDecember 14, 1915, upon the application of Henry Mueller, of Decatur,Illinois, for an improve ment infAdjusteble Pipe Connections, an errorappears in the printed specifica tion requiring correction as follows:Page 1, strike out line 75; and that the'said conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent Office.

' Signed and sealed this 11th day of January, A. Dr, 1910'.

[SEAL] J. T. NEWTON,

i Acting Commissioner of Patents.

! Cl. 137-2s. I

Letters Patent should be read with this, correction therein that thesame may

